2 riders killed in motorcycle school at Daytona International Speedway

Friday

Oct 18, 2013 at 1:42 PMOct 18, 2013 at 8:48 PM

Two riders died on Daytona International Speedway's road course after colliding at high speed during a private motorcycle school session, officials confirmed Friday.

By GODWIN KELLYgodwin.kelly@news-jrnl.com

DAYTONA BEACH — Two riders died on Daytona International Speedway's road course after colliding at high speed during a private motorcycle school session, officials confirmed Friday.Instructor Rick Shaw, 65, Port Orange, and student Eric Desy, 45, of Quebec, crashed Thursday in Speedway Turn 2 during a Team Hammer Advanced Riding School training session.The two men become the 38th and 39th racing-related deaths at the Speedway. The last fatality at Daytona was Alan Burgess, who died on Aug. 24, 2009, from injuries suffered during an amateur Sports Car Club of America racing event.Shaw was an experienced professional rider who at one time held the record for most Daytona 200 laps completed. The retired Miami policeman moved here after his retirement from the force in 2005.Team Hammer had schooled students for 20 years at Daytona without incident before Friday's double fatality, the first time that has happened at the Speedway since it opened in 1959.School owner John Ulrich was visibly shaken by the incident. He issued a statement Friday.“Rider safety is at the very forefront of all we do and our track record at Daytona speaks for itself,” he said. “Over the last two decades more than 5,000 students have gone through our advanced riding school program at the Speedway, without major incident.“Our thoughts and prayers go out for the families of Eric and Rick. Eric was a passionate motorcycle enthusiast and amateur racer who was very excited to be riding at Daytona. Rick was an excellent instructor and a great friend. His riding resume at Daytona was outstanding.“We are fully committed to providing a safe, thrilling and unforgettable riding school for our students and will carefully review our processes and procedures closely to see if there is anything we can improve in the future.”Team Hammer rented the 3.51-mile road course from the Speedway for the riding school. The Speedway issued a statement on the death of the two riders.“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the riders and their families, and we are deeply saddened by their loss. Rick Shaw in particular had a long history of racing at Daytona, and for several years held the record for most miles raced in the Daytona 200. He was loved by many in the motorcycle community and we will miss him greatly.“The safety of fans and competitors is always our top priority and we work closely with event officials to ensure the best safety protocols are in place and followed. Team Hammer Advanced Riding School has an outstanding track record of safety at Daytona International Speedway, hosting thousands of riders since the early 1990's.“Whenever an unfortunate incident does occur at our facility, we take the opportunity to learn and refine any event procedures.”The Speedway is hosting Fall Cycle Scene for the remainder of the weekend. Racing started at noon with the 44-lap Team Challenge race and will continue through Sunday afternoon.